Learning to ski or snowboard is something a lot of people would like to do. The first time you are able to stay upright on a ski slope is a great feeling let alone skiing down a mountain on fresh snow, that is almost an unbeatable feeling.

However, if you haven’t skied before and what you know about skiing you can fit on the back of a lift pass, where do you start?! Well fear not because as long as you are reasonably fit and have a decent sense of balance you can learn to ski in a week with Balkan Holidays!

So, first we need to book a skiing or snowboarding holiday. There are some destinations and ski resorts that are more suitable for beginners than others.  Bulgaria is a great place to learn to ski. Why we hear you ask! Well, firstly the two main ski resorts, Bansko and Borovets, have plenty of ‘nursery slopes’ where a beginner starts, these have a gentle slope so they are perfect for beginners. Second, the ski instructors in Bulgaria are used to teaching people to ski or board and are very patient with beginners. And finally, a skiing holiday in Bulgaria with Balkan Holidays is great value, as are local prices once you are on holiday so if you have a go at learning to ski only to find you are more like Bambi on ice than Franz Klammer then hey, you haven’t wasted too much money!

So, you’ve made a great choice, you’ve chosen Bulgaria and Balkan Holidays for your first skiing holiday! In terms of your holiday, we offer flights from 7 UK airports to Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Now choose your resort, either Bansko or Borovets – they are both excellent for beginner skiers. Bansko is a real town where people live, it is at the foot of the majestic Pirin mountain and so in the last twenty years a ski resort has grown there and the facilities are modern, especially the lift system. Borovets is a purpose built resort, so it’s really whichever resort you prefer. Both resorts have lively ‘apres ski’ – there is a good choice of restaurants, bars and clubs, just remember you have to up the next morning!

As a learner you need to book a ‘First Time Ski Pack’ or ‘First Time Snowboard Pack’ – These contain the following…

6 day lift pass – To get up and down the mountain you use various lifts, from a button lift that pulls you along to the gondola that takes you to the very top of the ski area.

Skis, poles and boots – your very own equipment while you’re on the slopes

Ski school – this is tuition, for skiers it’s 4 hours a day and for snowboarders it’s 2 hours a day for 6 days.

So you’ve BOOKED your holiday and are raring to go! When your flight arrives at Sofia our wonderful team will meet you at the airport, they’ll give you an information pack and then take you to your resort and hotel. Our flights are on a Saturday so you spend this day travelling, then on the Sunday morning you go to your ski depot (with our reps), here you are fitted with your skis or snowboard, then you are put into groups according to your ability, which is perfect especially for beginners as they are all together in a group. Then the instructor will take you to the nursery slopes and your week of skiing begins. First you will learn how to get going and more importantly how to stop! This is what is called a snow plough, you turn your skis inwards, this will bring you to a gradual stop. Then you progress until the end of the week until you are a reasonably confident skier, ie you can ski and stop when needed, you can then call yourself a skier!

So, there you have it, how to learn to ski with Balkan Holidays. If you are thinking of learning to ski we hope this has given you an idea about what is involved in a skiing holiday and more importantly it has given you the confidence to book a holiday with us and learn to ski - For more information and to book please visit our website, www.balkanholidays.co.uk or you can call us on 020 7543 5555, we look forward to hearing from you.